Get your veggies all in one simple and delicious pot with this healthy and hearty lentil stew! On top of being packed with savory Halal beef and fresh veggies like carrots, celery, and spinach, it’s super nutritious for those looking for a high iron, high protein meal.
I love a good soup or stew anytime of year, but when the weather starts getting a little chilly, there’s nothing better than a big pot of warm comfort. This is an incredibly simple recipe to get simmering for a quick and easy meal. Like any good stew, chuck the ingredients into a pot with the seasonings and broth and you’re set.
We chopped the carrot, celery, and onion into nice small pieces. The smaller the piece, the faster they’ll cook so you can get to enjoying this stew without waiting too long. They still offer a satisfying bit of bite in contrast to the softness of the lentils, beef, and spinach that gives this pot a great fusion of textures.
And in keeping with the theme of quickness, we used our Halal ground beef for this recipe because it’s quick and easy to cook until it’s thoroughly browned. Larger pieces like beef stew meat or similar chunks of chicken or beef would also be very tasty, they just take longer to cook.
We kept our seasonings simple with cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. A little bit of these goes a long way and you don’t need to go too crazy with seasonings to make this taste great. Smoked paprika especially can be super strong and easy to over-do, so start small and give the pot a taste test as you go so you know what to add. You can always add more, but you can never take away!
The secret to this recipe is in the red lentils. I love a good lentil recipe, they’re healthy, earthy, and simple to prepare. These don’t need to simmer in the stew long before they’re soft, only about 7-10 minutes with a quick mix occasionally to make sure they aren’t burning. If you like a soupier stew, let it simmer for less time to retain some of the beef broth in the pot, and let it go for longer for thicker stews.
It doesn’t take long before it’s done, and the final step is just to mix in some spinach and you’re all set! Like everything else in this recipe, this is pulling double duty; it’s nutritious, wilts down to be nice and soft, adds a little bit of color to the pot, and it tastes great. So really, it’s pulling quadruple duty, this is a very efficient recipe on all counts.
This stew is awesome on its own, full of earthy and savory flavor, but it’s even better if you serve it over mashed potatoes for the ultimate fall meal. Great recipes are made even better when you know they’re good for you too, and this is nutritious as it is delicious. If you or someone you know could use some extra iron in particular in their diet and you’re in the mood for a quick and tasty stew, then you can’t go wrong with this recipe.
